A wall printer prints 10 to 20 square feet an hour. Where a job lands in that range depends on the resolution you print at and the surface you print on. Setup and breakdown add about 30 minutes. That’s true for the Pro Series, the Tech Series and the Floor Series, with the Pro at the top of the range.
How long a wall takes
| Wall | Print time at 10 to 20 sq ft an hour |
|---|---|
| 20 sq ft logo | 1 to 2 hours |
| 100 sq ft feature wall | 5 to 10 hours |
| 200 sq ft lobby wall | 10 to 20 hours |
| 400 sq ft gym wall | 20 to 40 hours |
These are print times only. Add about 30 minutes for setup and breakdown, plus travel and wall prep, for the full job.
What changes the speed
Five things decide where a job lands in that range.
Resolution and the design. Blended colors, gradients and photos look best at a higher resolution, which takes more passes and more time. Solid colors and block lettering print well at a lower resolution and go faster. The Pro Series prints up to 2400 DPI, and the Tech and Floor Series up to 2880 DPI.
The speed you set. You choose how fast the printer runs on each job, trading speed for detail where it makes sense.
The surface. Floors, glass and metal are smooth and print faster. Rough surfaces and textured walls print slower, because the sensors need time to read the surface as the head moves across it.
White and other channels. Adding a white layer, or any extra channel, adds time. White ink is standard on all three printers. See the white channel.
How much you print. A logo on a plain wall prints only the logo. A full wall of artwork prints every inch.
Put time in every quote
Clients plan around your time on site. Tell them how many hours or days the job takes, not only the price. It saves surprises, especially in offices, schools and restaurants that need the room back.
Compared with other methods
Hand painting a detailed mural can take days or weeks. Vinyl has to be designed, printed, shipped and installed. A wall printer prints straight onto the wall on site, so a job that would take a muralist a week can often be printed in a day or two. For more on that comparison, see surface printing vs printed vinyl.
If you have a wall in mind, send the team its size and surface, and they’ll tell you how long it would take.
Questions people ask
How fast does a wall printer print?
10 to 20 square feet an hour, depending on resolution and surface. Setup and breakdown add about 30 minutes.
How long does a 100 square foot wall take?
About 5 to 10 hours of printing, plus about 30 minutes for setup and breakdown.
Does white ink slow the printer down?
Printing a white layer under the color adds time on dark surfaces. White ink is standard on the Pro Series, Tech Series and Floor Series.
Thinking about a printer? Tell the team in Wilmington what you want to print and where, and we’ll give you a straight answer on whether it fits.
Before you buy: straight answers to the questions buyers ask us.
- The first 90 days with a wall printer: what actually happens
- Five assumptions that make any wall printer calculator look better than real life
- How a $500 wall printing job can lose money
- Print heads: what wears out on a wall printer, what it costs and how to make it last
- Walls to think twice about before you print on them
- Where a wall printer struggles, and how owners plan around it
- A $40,000 printer package or a cheap import: what you’re actually comparing
- What support looks like after you buy a wall printer
- Who shouldn’t buy a wall printer
- What it takes to do well with a wall printer: the five pillars
- Questions to ask a wall printer owner before you buy
- The three kinds of wall printing jobs, and what each one sells for
- How fast does a wall printer print?